Why is rabies afraid of water? What are the other symptoms?

Fear of water is one of the symptoms of rabies. Do you know why rabies is afraid of water? Let's see why people with rabies are afraid of water and other symptoms of the disease!

Human rabies is an acute encephalomyelitis disease caused by the Rhabdovirus virus that invades and destroys the central nervous system. It causes many abnormalities in infected people, including fear of water, fear of wind and fear of light. Doctors can diagnose the disease through epidemiological factors and typical symptoms of the disease. Here is the answer to why rabies is afraid of water.

What is the Rhabdovirus that causes rabies?

Before infecting humans, rabies virus Rhabdovirus exists in many hosts such as plants, protozoa, vertebrates or invertebrates... Rhabdovirus appears in almost every part of the world, except except for some islands and Antarctica. Warm-blooded animals are very susceptible to Rhabdovirus infection, such as dogs, cats, foxes, wolves, horses ...

Dogs are pets that are close to humans and have the highest rate of rabies infection. During rabies, the Rhabdovirus virus is very concentrated in the saliva of dogs. In addition, the virus also resides in nerve cells, cerebrospinal fluid, cornea... Rabies dogs bite people or lick saliva on open wounds will transmit the virus to humans. Slaughtering rabid dogs or eating undercooked rabid dog meat also carries a risk of disease transmission.

The Rhabdovirus that causes rabies is mainly transmitted from dogs to humans

Why is rabies afraid of water?

One of the recognizable unusual manifestations in people with rabies is fear of water. Why are people with rabies afraid of water? According to scientific explanation, this symptom originates from the mechanism of action of the Rhabdovirus virus. After entering the body, the virus tends to move to the central nervous system. It destroys nerve cells, leading to excitability and sensitivity to water, wind, and light.

From the nervous system, the virus continues to travel to the salivary glands and cause inflammation in this area. This is also where the rabies virus is most concentrated in the body of the infected host. They are located in the salivary glands to wait for infection to other hosts, stimulating aggressive behavior, loss of control in patients. Viruses are afraid of water because water will reduce the risk of infection from saliva.

What are the manifestations of fear of water in people with rabies? Symptoms of hydrophobia appear when rabies begins to progress, or occurs at a later stage. Just seeing the water, the patient will be stimulated causing spasms in the neck and throat. It can cause seizures, shortness of breath, anger, hyperactivity. There is no cure for hydrophobia, the only way to prevent it is to prevent the person from seeing water.

Why rabies is afraid of water is explained by the attacking properties of the Rhabdovirus virus

What other symptoms does rabies have?

Rabies is a dangerous disease that can be transmitted from dogs to humans . The incubation period after being infected with the virus can be as short as a few days, but it can also last up to a year. Bite sites near the central nervous system will develop the disease more quickly. Fear of water is just one of many typical symptoms of the disease.

Currently, the symptoms of rabies are divided into rabies and paralysis. At the onset, both of these forms have similar manifestations: pain, itching, burning or unexplained paresthesias in the bite. In addition, the patient also has fever, headache, feelings of restlessness and anxiety. When the disease is complete, each form has different symptoms.

Symptoms of rabies rabies

The virus destroys the central nervous system, causing the patient to have hallucinations, agitation, aggression, and behavioral disorders. The patient produces a lot of saliva, foaming at the mouth, shortness of breath, muscle spasms and a fear of water reaction. Finally, the whole body is paralyzed, cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest and death. Fear of water is a typical symptom of rabies, but not everyone knows why rabies is afraid of water.

Rabies rabies is aggressive, disruptive, and disruptive

Paralytic rabies symptoms

The incidence of paralytic rabies is less than that of mania, accounting for only about 20% of all human rabies cases. The symptom of paralysis is muscle paralysis, which begins at the site of the bite and then spreads to the whole body. The patient gradually falls into a coma, cardiac arrest and death. Regardless of the type of disease, the risk of dying from a rabies attack is 100%. To date, there is no specific treatment for rabies.

What to do to prevent rabies?

Rabies is the "scythe of death" heralded because there is no cure. The best way to deal with this dangerous disease is still proactively prevent it with vaccination. First aid immediately after being bitten by a dog  is also a solution to reduce the risk of infection.

How to give first aid after being bitten by a dog

Implementation steps:

• Wash the bitten area under running water, using soap to increase the antiseptic properties. Wash for 10-15 minutes.
• Use antiseptic water or alcohol 70 degrees to wash the damaged skin. Then dry, wrap with sterile gauze .
• Keep that skin area clean, dot 70 degrees alcohol every day. Be careful not to get dirty water on the bite.

Get vaccinated against rabies as soon as possible

Not every dog ​​bite is a rabies vaccine. You should inject in the following cases: The bitten dog is a wild dog, cannot be caught and monitored, the dog has shown aggression or foam at the mouth, the dog is dead. The best time to inject is within 24 - 48 hours after being bitten, the later the injection, the less effective the prevention.

Vaccination in the first 24 hours after being bitten by a dog or cat is almost 100% effective.

For cases that do not need an urgent vaccination against rabies, you need to closely monitor the dog. If you see it showing signs of rabies such as lying paralyzed or aggressive, biting madly barking, foaming at the mouth, immediately go for an injection.

The article has answered why rabies is afraid of water and identified some other symptoms of rabies. Do not be subjective if accidentally bitten by a dog, even if the dog has been vaccinated, it still needs to be monitored. If you have unusual symptoms after being bitten by a dog or cat, go to the nearest medical facility immediately!